Friday, December 11, 2015

YOUR
STORY MATTERS offers the teaching community a unique
opportunity and a fundamental principle for professional growth – to
collectively and critically reflect on their teaching practice.

The training merges critical
pedagogy and experiential learning. It will greatly contribute to the quality
of teachers’ professional growth as it addresses the realistic challenges and
relationships faced in schools and aims to equip teachers with the tools to
actively promote positive change.

Using theatre-based
methodology, the training advances teaching careers in three components:

allows educators to have a dialogue about themes vital to them,

presents an opportunity to explore choices and consequences by
role-playing and creating images and scenes, and

allows teachers to rehearse best practices for real life.

In professional conduct,
teachers experience high stake situations. After an unsuccessful encounter with
a student or an unproductive exchange with a colleague, they regret: “If only
I...” However, they cannot take it back. Yet, in a safe training environment,
we have the opportunity to pause to reflect, and rewind to practice new
approaches. We learn by doing, not by being told. Information is useless
without the power to act upon it.

Experiential
Training is unique, as it:

is story-based and works in the context of participants’ own stories,
experiences, andobservations

gives participants a rare opportunity to share their challenges and
conflicts as a springboard for uncovering the possible solutions and
opportunities for change

encourages participants to actively rehearse how to implement best
practices for positive change in classroom and school community using
theatre-based exercises, images, and scenes; a UNESCO recognized tool for
social change